Fire pits have become desirable additions to outdoor living spaces. However, regardless of the shape or size of the fire pit, most must remain stationary in a fixed position. Some more recent fire pits, or outdoor cooking devices, are known to have the capacity to be lifted along one side and rolled about on wheels attached to an axle located on the opposite side. Although mobility has been minimally addressed, the problem of insulating the fire pit from a wooden deck remains a significant concern in preventing unwanted fires and destruction of property.
One portable fire pit or outdoor cooking apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,651 [Groeneweg]. Mobility of the Groeneweg fire pit is accomplished by lifting the front support legs off the ground and maneuvering the fire pit on a pair of wheels each of which are attached to the rear support legs, respectively. A more recent design of a portable fire pit is described in U.S. Design Pat. D 547,848 [Grady, et al.]. The fire pit rests on a carrier that has a pair of wheels, each of which is attached to the rear support legs, respectively, of the carrier. The fire pit is lifted upward off of the front support legs by a handle that is connected to the rear support legs and extends outward toward the front so that the front legs can be lifted and the fire pit rolled on the wheels attached to the rear support legs to a new position. The wheeled carrier of Grady, et al. is similar to those of U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,240 [Grady, et al.] and U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,788 [Bach, et al.] also describing portable fire pits. But none of these earlier patents attempt to provide or teach any method or device that will allow a fire pit that rests on the ground to be made portable. Further, there is no discussion of precautions that are necessary and required to prevent the possibility of damage to, or the igniting of a fire when the fire pit is used on a wooden deck.
The present invention addresses both the mobility of a fire pit as well as the fire prevention aspect. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a mobile base upon which a fire pit can be placed to create a portable fire pit. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an insulating shield between the exterior of the fire pit and the support surface for the base by interposing a fire resistant material into the upper portion of the base. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stable platform for the fire pit while permitting the base to be wheeled about from position to position. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a base that will provide a stable support to any number of fire pits whether they have support legs, a single base support, or use the bowl as a support. Other objects will appear hereinafter.